The Catalan Tourist Board and the General Directorate of Tourism are carrying out an exhaustive follow-up of all the information related to COVID-19 that affects the Catalan tourism sector.

Both institutions have established a twofold strategy: The Informative and the Operational one, in order to provide clear and updated information on the COVID-19 evolution, impacts and related measures, to all the stakeholders within the Catalan tourism sector and to drive the rebuilt of a new tourism model for Catalonia in views of recovering the tourism industry and brand from the COVID-19 outbreak.

The creation of a web portal dedicated exclusively to the COVID-19 is available in the Catalan Tourism Board website, acting as a hub of all related information on tourism and Covid19 affectations, also available in English and Spanish.

Moreover, a Help Desk "Hola" has been established to provide direct support to the requests/consultations coming from the tourism private sector and professionals

Highlight of the Catalan measures

ECONOMIC MEASURES

The Directorate General for Tourism (DGT) of the Catalan Government has reallocated 3.5 million euros of its current budget to inject liquidity to the tourism SMEs and to the tourism professionals that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Each of them will receive a symbolic support of 2.500€ for running costs. This is the fist-time ever that the DGT provides direct support to tourism SMEs. The usual modus operandi is to canalize the tourism subsidies via the municipalities who coordinate and manage the funds and distribute them to the support and betterment of the tourism value chain. This budget will be shortly increased.

Cancellation of the Catalan Tourism Board adhesion programmes fees to their members

CAPACITY BUILDING

NEW! Creation of an online co-creation platform for the Catalan tourism industry aiming at fostering alliances between the sector and among others sectors in view of finding joint solutions to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to reorient their business models to become more innovative, resilient and sustainable. https://colab.act.gencat.cat/ca-ES/

Thematic webinars dedicated to Tourism SMEs and professionals on innovation, sustainability, digital transformation and digital marketing 

DATA ANALYTICS

NEW! Travel intentions report of some of the outbound markets: Belgium and The Netherlands

Biweekly Report on the impact of COVID-19 in the Catalan tourism sector (in Catalan)
Weekly reports and Socioeconomic Report for the Catalan tourism industry on the outbound travel markets (in Catalan)

MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

“Promotional” Campaign: Catalonia is better with you in 3 languages :
- Domestic and national tourism (in Catalan and in Spanish) 
- Neighbour/proximity markets (in English)

Initial campaign reacting to the COVID-19 outbreak - specially through social media –#JoEmQuedoaCasa = I stay home
#StayHome now, visit #Catalonia later. 

RECOVERY PLAN

Catalonia is working on an Integrated Plan for Recovery (PRI) to be implemented along 2020 and 2021, having as main goal the recovery of the Catalan tourism industry and tourism brand

The recovery of the Catalan Tourism destination and businesses will entitle two main priorities innovation – digitalisation being one of its key essentials – and sustainability – as the only way to save tourism sector and destinations from the environmental, economic an sociocultural point of view. 

The recovery plan will be supported by a contingency fund which will be designed with the budget emerging from the actions that were allocated to this year but due to the crisis have been/will be cancelled, reallocating it to support the recovery of the Catalan Tourism value chain

The Catalan Tourism Board will give priority to domestic and neighboring markets instead of long haul markets for the moment.